This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 411,466 filed Sept. 19, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,318 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a method of preparing an implant body for implantation in order to optimize the healing time of said implant.
It is well known that implant bodies of titanium or implant bodies coated with titanium are particularly suitable for implantation in living tissue. Technology of this type has long been used by Professor Branemark in Gothenburg for implanting titanium screws into jaw bones, the implanted titanium screws then serving as anchorage points for artificial teeth. To obtain good results, the actual oxide layer on the surface of the implant should exhibit special properties with respect to surface energy, dielectric constant, corrosion resistance, pK.sub.a and degree of hydration. It has also been found that the phenomena appearing during the period immediately after implantation are of the utmost importance in establishing biointegration. During this period, it must be possible to induce the inevitable inflammatory reaction caused by the surgical incision to heal suitably. This initial inflammatory reaction to the implant is characterized by the presence of cells which neutralize and degrade foreign objects since these cells produce tissue-degrading enzymes, free oxygen radicals and H.sub.2 O.sub.2 and have the ability to engulf foreign particles. Clinical experiments have shown that some of the oxygen radicals produced are extremely dangerous to living tissue.
The object of the invention is to provide a method for preparing an implant body for implantation such that that the healing time following the implantation is optimized, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned risks.